Picking up the pieces of the activist community after the loss of its most recognizable member

The untold story of Charleston's brave Hyggenauts

On Thursday, the S.C. Supreme Court ruled that Gov. Mark Sanford would have to take $700 million in federal economic stimulus aid. He'd balked at taking the money. But the state legislature forced his hand over concerns that the money would be spent in other states while South Carolina taxpayers would still be responsible for paying it back.

Here's a timeline breaking down the journey:

March 10: Sanford says he'll ask President Barack Obama if he can spend the money to pay down state debt. S.C. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dan Cooper (R-Piedmont) says he's "mystified."

March 16: Obama says, "No," while the Democratic National Committee runs an ad targeting Sanford for his stand against spending the money. The governor calls the ad's timing "disturbing."

March 20: The White House refuses a second Sanford pitch to spend the money on debt related to school construction. Charleston Mayor Joe Riley sends a letter signed by more than 75 municipal leaders to the governor telling him to take the money. Riley calls Sanford's efforts "foolishness."

March 31: A rally in Charleston calls on Sanford to accept the stimulus aid. One man's sign reads, "Lay off Sanford."

April 7: Sanfordville, a pro-stimulus tent city rally, pitches camp in a park across from the Governor's Mansion in Columbia. Sanford spokesman Joel Sawyer warns of "misinformation."

April 8: State Sen. Vincent Sheheen (D-Camden), a gubernatorial primary candidate, pitches a plan to force Sanford to take the money. State Attorney General Henry McMaster, a likely GOP primary gubernatorial candidate, warns of a looming "constitutional standoff."

April 9: Sanford releases his own anti-stimulus ad, calling it a "counterpoint."